1
as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of
he dissembled happiness at the news that his old girlfriend was getting married—to someone else
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2
as in to dissimulate
to take on a false or deceptive appearance
children learn to dissemble at a surprisingly early age
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Recent Examples of dissemble
Authorities were forced to dissemble the back deck in order to rescue some of the pups that were beneath, according to the Strong Island Animal Rescue League, who assisted with the efforts.
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David Matthews, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2025
Building trust in companies and their leaders isn’t easy, given many decades of dissembling.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
You’d like your government to tell you the truth, and the government dissembled repeatedly after the raid about what the rules of engagement were.
—Aryeh Neier, The New York Review of Books, 3 Mar. 2025
Pushing back on reporters, at the time Scher often dissembled and appeared to brush aside concerns about what was clearly an increasingly out-of-control situation.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 19 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for dissemble
David Matthews, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2025
Building trust in companies and their leaders isn’t easy, given many decades of dissembling.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
You’d like your government to tell you the truth, and the government dissembled repeatedly after the raid about what the rules of engagement were.
—Aryeh Neier, The New York Review of Books, 3 Mar. 2025
Pushing back on reporters, at the time Scher often dissembled and appeared to brush aside concerns about what was clearly an increasingly out-of-control situation.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 19 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for dissemble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissemble
Verb
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The two initially make a deal where Hannah exchanges free tutoring lessons for Garrett pretending to be her boyfriend, making her crush jealous.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
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With the war’s turbulence on the economy more prevalent and the internet now throttled, Russians no longer have the luxury of pretending the war in Ukraine isn’t happening.—
Daniel DePetris,
Twin Cities,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, Scott, the attorney, also said Thursday that Williamson assumed, based on her conversations with McCluskie, that McCluskie had spoken to Becerra about the concept of the money transfer.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
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Recommended Stories That’s assuming there’s actually enough of it accessible on the moon to be profitably extracted.—
Robin George Andrews,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Dick Clark Productions and Sony Pictures Television’s 19 Entertainment were behind the series, which featured weekly dance challenges intended to simulate the realities of a successful dance career.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
11 May 2026
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Cutting back the plants severely will simulate late new growth, which will be very susceptible to winter kill.—
Marie Iannotti,
The Spruce,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dissemble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissemble. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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